Rep. Debbie Lesko

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits federal funding to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates for one year unless they certify they won't perform or fund abortions (with exceptions for rape/incest or life-threatening conditions). It redirects $235 million in existing funding to community health centers for women's health services like contraception, cancer screenings, and prenatal care. The bill explicitly states that redirected funds will continue to support all women's health services previously provided by Planned Parenthood. It also requires repayment of funds if Planned Parenthood violates the certification, and clarifies that overall federal funding for women's health services remains unchanged.

Maddy summaryThe Educational Choice for Children Act creates tax credits for individuals and corporations that contribute to scholarship granting organizations providing education scholarships. Individuals can claim a credit up to $5,000 or 10% of their income, while corporations can claim up to 5% of taxable income. The scholarships are available to students from households with income up to 300% of the area median income, and can be used for private school tuition, tutoring, and other educational expenses at elementary and secondary schools. The bill includes strict requirements for scholarship organizations to verify income, conduct audits, and prevent misuse of funds, while also prohibiting government control over these organizations and protecting private and religious schools from discrimination in the program. It establishes a $10 billion annual cap on the total tax credits available.

Maddy summaryHR 570, the CRT Act, prohibits federal funding for elementary, secondary, and higher education institutions that promote specific race-based theories. It bans schools from using federal funds if they teach or require students to adopt beliefs such as "any race is inherently superior," the U.S. being "fundamentally racist," or individuals bearing racial responsibility for others' actions. The bill includes key exceptions: it protects outside speech, allows research access to prohibited materials, and permits teaching about these theories in educational contexts without endorsing them. The law directly affects schools receiving federal education funds, not individual students or teachers.

Maddy summaryHR 571, the SCHOOL Act of 2023, requires states to redirect federal education funds to follow students regardless of whether they attend public, private, or home schools. It mandates that states allocate funds under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) based on student enrollment, distributing resources directly to families through education savings accounts for private or home school use. These accounts can cover tuition, curriculum materials, tutoring, therapies for students with disabilities, and other educational expenses. The bill includes safeguards requiring funds to "supplement, not supplant" existing local funding and explicitly prohibits federal or state control over private education providers.

Maddy summaryThe Military Child Educational Freedom Act amends the tax code to allow active duty military families to deduct home school expenses as private school costs for federal income tax purposes. It specifically applies to military members or their spouses on active duty who use home schools recognized by state law as home or private schools. The bill changes the Internal Revenue Code definition of "private school" to include such home schools for education expense deductions. This change takes effect for tax years beginning after the bill's enactment.

This concurrent resolution calls on the President to abandon the One China policy in favor of one that recognizes Taiwan as an independent country that is not a part of China. The resolution also urges the President to bolster diplomatic and economic relations between the United States and Taiwan through specified means.

Maddy summaryHR 509, the Debt Cancellation Accountability Act of 2023, prohibits the federal government from canceling student loan debt for groups of borrowers (e.g., all teachers or all borrowers in a specific state) without explicit congressional approval. It directly affects borrowers with federal student loans under parts B, D, or E of the Higher Education Act by requiring the Education Secretary to submit detailed requests to Congress before any "class-based" cancellation exceeding $1 million total. The bill mandates that Congress must specifically appropriate funds for such programs, and the Secretary must justify the need, legal authority, and why group cancellation is used instead of individual reviews. Existing targeted programs (like those for specific professions) remain exempt if they assess eligibility on a case-by-case basis.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires healthcare providers to give the same medical care to infants born alive during abortions as they would to any newborn, and to immediately admit such infants to a hospital. It mandates reporting of non-compliance to law enforcement and imposes penalties including up to 5 years in prison for violations. Women who undergo abortions can file civil lawsuits seeking money damages for injuries, three times the abortion cost, and punitive damages if care standards are not met. The bill also clarifies that abortion includes intentionally killing an unborn child or terminating pregnancy without specific exceptions (e.g., after viability to preserve life or removing a dead fetus).

Maddy summaryHR 23, the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, rescinds unobligated funds previously allocated to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Specifically, it cancels unused balances from certain IRS funding provisions (sections 10301(1)(A)(ii), (iii), (B), (2), (3), (4), and (5)) of the Inflation Reduction Act. This bill does not change tax laws or directly affect taxpayers; it only redirects unspent IRS budget authority. The provision applies solely to funds that were not obligated by the IRS as of the bill’s enactment date.

Maddy summaryHR 22, the *Protecting America’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve from China Act*, blocks the U.S. government from selling petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to entities under Chinese Communist Party control or unless sellers guarantee the oil won’t be exported to China. It directly affects the Department of Energy’s management of the reserve and any foreign entities seeking to purchase reserve petroleum. The key mechanism requires the Secretary of Energy to prohibit sales to China-linked entities or impose strict export restrictions on any sale. This policy change aims to prevent strategic petroleum resources from reaching entities tied to China’s government.